On February 26, just about one month ago, Trayvon Martin, a black seventeen-year old, was fatally shot by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer. Zimmerman’s family says that he is Hispanic, but some sources say he is white. It is for this reason that many people believe Zimmerman has yet to be prosecuted.

If Trayvon Martin had been a white teenager and George Zimmerman a black man, would this prosecution have been expedited? This is the most asked question as the Martin Family awaits word that justice has been served and Zimmerman has been put in jail for the murder of Trayvon Martin.

Race has clouded the facts in this case. The racism that still, unfortunately, exists in our country justifies to some Zimmerman’s actions. Zimmerman’s supporters and family have said that the shooting came out of self-defense. But newly uncovered evidence says otherwise. Let us be colorblind, even for a moment, as we look through the evidence:

-Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch volunteer, called a non-emergency police line from his car to report a suspicious person, Trayvon Martin. “This guy looks like he’s up to no good. He is on drugs or something.” While still on the phone with police, Zimmerman got out of his car and began to follow Martin.

-Martin was not in the gated community without reason, however. He was there visiting his father.

-Martin noticed he was being followed and called his girlfriend: “Oh, he’s right behind me, he’s right behind me again,” said Martin to his girlfriend. Martin’s girlfriend later heard the teenager ask, “Why are you following me?” and another man reply, “What are you doing around here?” Moments later, Martin’s girlfriend heard a gunshot.

-Travyon Martin did not have a single weapon on him, just skittles and Arizona iced tea, items he had bought from a nearby 7-11.

-This was not Zimmerman’s first call to police regarding a suspicious person. From January 2011 to February 26, 2012, Zimmerman had made 46 calls to police. Recordings of six of these calls were released on Monday and four of them concerned suspicious persons, all of whom were black.

As much as I would like to disregard race and hope that one day race will not affect the outcome of such a case, this last fact cannot be ignored. From the facts uncovered thus far, George Zimmerman appears to have been greatly at fault. He assumed that, because of skin color and associated racial stereotypes, Trayvon Martin was “up to no good.”

The fatal mix of power and racial hatred manifested itself in Zimmerman’s actions on February 26. I am reminded of Audre Lorde’s poem, “Power,” a 1978 social commentary on a case involving the killing of a young, black boy by a white police officer. Clearly, this has long been a huge, disheartening issue in our country and the world. It is my hope that some day a case such as this will have the title “neighborhood watch volunteer kills teenager” not “white/hispanic neighborhood watch volunteer kills black teenager.”

Ashley is a freshman at George Washington University and she’s majoring in “Overanalyzing Situations” and International Affairs. Follow her on twitter @ashleybrooks25

Cities across England turned dangerous as violent riots, spurred by the death of a black man by police, spread throughout the country. Mobs took over the streets, setting buildings and cars on fire, shattering windows, and looting stores. Things were particularly bad in London, where the Prime Minister sent 16,000 policemen on Tuesday to calm things down. It worked- the worst is over- but the cost of clean up is estimated to be in the tens of millions. Even though the riots began because of one man’s death, the social and economic inequality may have been what really heated things up. That’s an issue pretty familiar to those living in the U.S., and now, many are wondering, could the same thing happen in the states?

A  9,000 signature-strong petition got attention this week for it’s forward-thinking idea: Bert and Ernie should get married on Sesame Street. There have been rumors for a while now that the best buds are actually in a relationship, and their constant bickering is reminiscent of an old married couple. The LGBTQ activists who started the petition claim that an on-screen marriage between the two male puppets would teach acceptance and tolerance to children, but the show disagrees, insisting that such a union is impossible- “Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics (as most Sesame Street Muppets™ do), they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.” Wait… what about Kermit and Miss Piggy? You can still sign the petition here!

The 12 Congressmen who will make up the “super committee” have been announced. The group was part of the last-minute, we-must-avoid-the-implosion-of-our-economy deal to raise the debt ceiling last month. Despite their name, they’ll be searching for savings, not evil villains, though that’d be much more exciting. (Can you imagine if politicians were actually superheroes? Hello Hollywood, this is obviously a great movie idea…) To be exact, the committee, which is half Republican and half Democrat (and btw, only includes one woman and one African American- typical!), is charged with finding $1.5 trillion in savings over the next ten years. Maybe they will need super powers for that.

The main stage at the Indianapolis State Fair collapsed on Saturday night, killing 5 and injuring 40. Chaos erupted on the fairgrounds after the huge, metal structure- which was soon planned to hold the country-pop duo Sugarland- came crashing down due to a “freak gust of wind.” Visitors caught the unbelievable, horrifying event on video (here), but as a warning, it’s pretty scary and upsetting. The fair reopened this morning with a memorial service for those lost.

Warren Jeffs, the leader of the 10,000-member polygamist Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was sentenced to life in prison on Tuesday. The jury took less than half an hour to decide that Jeffs, 55, deserved to spend the rest of his life in prison for sexually assaulting two underage female members of his church. In court, prosecutors showed evidence that he fathered a child with a 15-year-old and played a recording that was supposedly him having sex with a 12-year-old. For the past 2 years, Jeffs has been leading his followers from inside of a jail cell, and no one is quite sure what will happen to the group now that there’s no way he’s getting out. A former church-member told USA Today that “he will definitely remain a prophet behind bars, and they will be telling everybody that God’s going to tear the prison down and let him loose.”

Pic o’ the Week:

The U.S. has been in mourning for the past week after the deadliest day in the war in Afghanistan, when the above 30 U.S. servicemen died in a helicopter attack. The tragedy has come to be known as the Chinook Crash, named after the type of chopper the men were flying in.  This happened over a week ago, but it’s all people have been talking about this week, as more and more details- like the identities of the lost soldiers and the possible identity of the gunman who shot down the plane- have been coming out. In addition to the 30 Americans lost, 8 Afghanis were killed. Among the men who died were 22 members of Navy SEAL Team 6, the same group that took out Osama Bin Laden.

It’s one thing to delight in the glee of celebs showing up to events in consistently tacky outfits, becoming divas on the Home Shopping Network, continuing to star in movies that flop or getting caught in ridiculous sex scandals (Seriously, tweeting a crotch photo? Comical, lame and totally worth mocking).

It is a completely other story to take pleasure in another human being’s death. I don’t know what it is about celebrities that makes us forget that they are actual people. Is it the over-the-top lifestyle? Is it the way they live their lives so openly in a way that would mortify most of us? I remember talking to a friend during Charlie Sheen’s meltdown, and I asserted how uncomfortable I was with the way people were idolizing and condoning his ridiculous behavior, especially since he has a history of violence. In response, she said “celebrities don’t count.” But celebrities do count. Their actions have consequences. They don’t exist in a bubble. The way that we choose to contextualize the actions of our celebrities says a lot about our society’s values.

Sheen, the highest paid actor on TV with a long history of domestic violence, goes on some awful rants, complete with some completely unnecessary Anti-Semitism (rants that eventually led to making money), and everyone bows down to the altar of yet another privileged white man who knows how to drum up publicity and make a profit for himself. Chris Brown has still not been forgiven for his attack of Rihanna. He had a fit on the set of Good Morning America and the media was quick to paint him as angry and unstable, and I find it impossible to believe that race doesn’t have anything to do with it. He’s a young black man who sings music that widely appeals to a young black audience — ie: the majority of people are not interested in investing in him or his success. Now, I am not an apologist for violent men. I don’t think it’s hard to avoid hitting women, and I believe both Charlie and Chris should be blacklisted, but the unequal treatment is most certainly not a coincidence.

And when Amy Winehouse dies, her struggle with drugs and alcohol made people feel comfortable enough to express their delight, because they know their marginalization of substance abuse, mental illness and, let’s be totally honest here –women — is acceptable in our society. It’s even been perpetrated on College Candy. Amy Winehouse, despite winning five Grammys in one night, despite having two critically acclaimed albums, despite being a distinguished vocalist and songwriter who has sold several million albums worldwide, is still not considered “worthy” of being part of a morbid club of rock stars who have all died far too young. The impact that she has made in the music industry is undeniable.

To deny the fact that celebrities reflect the ignorant and dysfunctional norms of our culture is to deny the true extent of how deeply our collective racism, misogyny and tendency to devalue people with mental illnesses runs. It’s counterproductive and doesn’t allow our society to evolve to its true potential.

Annoyed already? But oh, it get’s so much better…

I will refer to females as “targets”. They aren’t actual people like us men. Consequently, giving them a certain name or distinction is pointless.

I have to give these guys some credit. They make no attempt to hide what misogynistic, sexist, racist, horrible human beings they actually are from the very beginning, when they tilt the world backwards on its axis with this comment. I mean, really? Was there ever even a time when women weren’t at least viewed as human beings?

Drawbacks of this philosophy [not wearing a condom] are that you may have to visit the clinic more often than not, but a quick penicillin shot really isn’t that bad (trust me).

Note the complete disregard for the woman’s health and safety. Note also that the fact that not wearing a condom could result in pregnancy is not even a thought in this man’s head. It’s as though he doesn’t even make the connection that unprotected sex can result in pregnancy simply because he’s not the one who would be pregnant.

Be careful when you cheat, but still cheat.

The pride and joy of Kappa Sigma also goes on to list a ranking system for the girls, excuse me “pies,” one gets with, and gives the above advice for those ranked at number 5. I have no words.

Non-consent and rape are two different things. There is a fine line, so make sure not to cross it.

Last time I checked, rape was non consensual sex. Or did I miss something? Here is where, for me at least, this letter moves from disgusting to disturbing. It’s one thing to be a manwhore.
It’s something else entirely to be a manwhore who doesn’t understand the concept of no.

You can read the letter in its entirety over at Jezebel, but it’s pretty much just one horrifying comment after another. But there’s really not much I can say about this letter that hasn’t been said before. It’s a degrading, insulting, disgusting, sexist, misogynistic piece of trash that is a disgrace not only for Kappa Sigma but for men in general. (Okay I guess I could think of a few things to say.) And for that reason I can see why the rest of the internet (like our gal pals at The Frisky) is freaking out over it, because I am too.

But what I can’t understand is why they’re so shocked that stuff like this exists out there. On Tuesday, I wrote about the shocking statistics that prove that women are still very far off from achieving equality, and about how we don’t always acknowledge or even realize that. And this letter is proof of just that.

Behind closed doors, when guys aren’t trying to score a “Guap n’ Drop” by taking women out to dinner and pretending like they actually believe they are human beings, this is how a lot of men talk. Not all men, but a lot of them, and especially a lot of college guys who have yet to reach the stage of wanting a real relationship and are only concerned with scoring “pies”. (I apologize. I can’t not use the air quotes. It’s just too ridiculous.)  As a college girl in a college setting have I experienced college guys being misogynistic? Yes. Sexist?  Yes. Degrading and demeaning? Check and check. Just because every guy who embraces this type of thinking doesn’t type up an e-mail (or a newspaper article) and send it around to all his friends doesn’t mean this stuff doesn’t happen. That doesn’t make it okay, but it does make it reality.

A reality we are not always aware of.

So while the writer of this letter claimed he would track down and take the soul of anyone who sent his e-mail to anyone outside of Kappa Sigma, I for one want to shake that man’s hand. Not because he thought this e-mail was too funny not to pass along, but because maybe now a few more people will realize exactly what women are dealing with.

Thoughts? Comments? Angry rants? Share below.

Email your pressing questions to TuffyLuv@collegecandy.com for the chance to get a pressing answer! You dig?!

Dear Tuffy Luv,

My boyfriend is a racist. Not the kind that’s making racist remarks all the time, but he says things that I think are racist and then he says they’re just a joke. But it makes me really uncomfortable because it makes me feel like I’m a racist too because I’m not stopping him.

Should I keep dating my boyfriend? We’ve been together for a year and otherwise I really love him. He’s a really good guy, but when he says things like that I don’t know what to do.

Carrie

Dear Carrie,

Well, you didn’t give any examples, so it’s hard to say. But here’s what Tuffy thinks:

I know it’s painful, but you gotta sit your guy down and tell him how you feel. Say, “Tommy (can I call your boyfriend Tommy?), Tommy, I don’t like the things you’re saying about [whatever group he's racist in the general direction of]. Where is this coming from?”

He’ll tell you why he feels that way toward whatever group. Hear him out. Let him say his thing. When he finishes (and really, you have GOT to let him say it all out loud), tell him why it upsets you that he says these things. Explain that you don’t think a group can be judged based on a stereotype (or a single example, or whatever it is that he tells you it’s based on) and that he’s welcome to his opinion, but that you can’t be a part of it and that you would appreciate it if he’d abstain from saying it around you.

And that really may be enough. If it’s just a racist joke here or there, and it’s only slightly racist, maybe you’re able to see it as his one bad quality and just forget about it as long as he keeps it to himself.

HOWEVER, this is only if you’re able to stomach his reason and/or are determined to stay with him. If he says something really awful or disgusting about why he’s racist, or even if he just gets defensive, I really do advise you to get the frog out of that relationship. How can you be with a bigot if you aren’t one yourself? His racism shows a complete lack of personal thought (he’s basing his opinions on someone else’s stereotype or perhaps just what he was told growing up) and a complete disregard for the rights and feelings of others. If this is something that bothers you, go find someone who doesn’t hate others for no reason.

Tuffy would get the frog out. But, girl, in the end, it’s no one’s call but your own.

Hearts & Skulls,

Tuffy Luv

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